Emmetsburg, IOWA — The Emmetsburg Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are seeking assistance from the public in locating James Michael Pietrarosso. Pietrarosso is a 32-year old male from the Emmetsburg, Iowa area.  He is wanted for Attempted Murder and several other outstanding warrants.Pietrarosso was last known to be in the Spencer, Iowa area.

James Michael Pietrarosso

His whereabouts are unknown at this time.  The Emmetsburg Police Department is asking for your assistance in locating this subject.  If you or anyone you know has information that would assist law enforcement in locating and arresting Pietrarosso, please contact your local Law Enforcement at 9-1-1, or The Emmetsburg Police Department at 712-852-2424.

While the U-S Army Corps of Engineers is promising to focus more on flood prevention, many western Iowans are still questioning how that will be accomplished after the summer-long flooding of the Missouri River. Jody Farhat, head of the Corps’ water control office in Omaha, says she’s heard from plenty of worried folks up and down the river. “People are very concerned about potential flooding again next year,” Farhat says. “We’re committing to take a more flexible approach to our releases during the fall and into the winter and the spring.” Levees and dams along the waterway were weakened by the months of flooding and repairs on them are still underway. Farhat says the plan is to draw down upriver reservoir levels before the warm weather of 2012 arrives.

“We’ll get as much water out of the system as the weather permits and that we can pass safely without impacting the repairs that are going on,” Farhat says. “The dams and the levees are our number-one line of defense and we don’t want to interfere with any of that important work that’s going on.” Reservoirs upstream were inundated by heavy rains and record runoff from snowmelt, forcing the Corps to release water at such velocity that Missouri River levels were raised for the entire summer. Farhat says they’re working to plan ahead by dropping reservoir water levels now. “It’s not a specific amount,” she says. “We’ll base it on the current information and also on what we’re able to get out. When we get to this time of year, it really depends on the weather and where the runoff comes in. We’ll monitor that closely and hopefully we’ll be able to move some additional water out.” Farhat says the Corps will continue with “aggressive” flows from the dams for the next few months.

“We don’t want to cause icejam flooding this winter just to provide some relief in case it’s a wet year next year,” she says. “It’s a balancing the very real impacts of pushing extra water through the winter with that reduced risk of flooding next year.” Releases from Gavins Point Dam at Yankton on the South Dakota/Nebraska border continue at 40-thousand cubic feet per second, well above the long term normal for this time of year. Releases this summer topped 160-thousand CFS, or more than a million gallons per second.

(Radio Iowa)

Authorities in Lenox report a Taylor County man was arrested today (Tuesday) on a charge of 1st degree arson. According to the Lenox Police Department, 25-year old Christopher Cameron, of Clearfield, was arrested at his parents home. The arrest comes as a result of a joint investigation by the Lenox Police Department and the State Fire Marshalls Office related to the fire that occurred on November 6th, 2011, at the Lenox Motel.

An initial investigation the night of the fire conducted by the Lenox Police Department found inconsistencies relating to the cause of the fire. As a result the State Fire Marshall’s Office was contacted to review those findings.

Cameron was subsequently arrested after making an admission about the cause of the Motel fire and 3 other fires. Additional charges are expected to be filed by the Fire Marshall’s office. Cameron is currently being held in the Taylor County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert says residents of Earling, Panama, Portsmouth and Westphalia should be aware 1380th Street is closed for a bridge replacement project that is expected to last about three-weeks. The bridge is located over an unnamed tributary of the Mosquito Creek, just west of Highway 191, between Elmwood Road and Highway 191.

Seivert says the bridge will be replaced with a culvert. Area residents who may have questions about the project can call the Shelby County Engineer’s Office at 712-755-5954.